Why should the heroes have all the fun? To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Star Wars, Matt Busch, Lucasfilm, the 501st Great Lakes Garrison and Paul Michael Kane collaborated to produce this poster commemorating the villains of Return of the Jedi!

There are a few (very minor) women in the latest three - the kid's mother (a virgin who gave birth) and some Jedi chick (who gets killed), who are little more than cardboard cutouts. But then, so were most of the actors except maybe Obi Wan and Yoda.

Padme is crippled more by the one-dimensional scowling of her moody husband than by any lack of character on her part.

Princess Leia (all puns aside), is a strong character throughout, and is just as 3-dimensional as Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.

I just don't think Lucas, in borrowing from older genres, knew how to draw characters, especially women, out of their stereotypes.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps it is simply a symptom of geek-dom, to which Lucas belongs.

Women are treated poorly in Star Wars, from Annakin's mother to Princess Leia to Padmé. Women in Star Wars are "instruments" rather than actual characters with any depth. They're all very passive. All the actual responsibility and heroism are left for the men to pat each other on the back by saying "jolly good show chaps," that sort of thing.